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The United Nations has commended President Emmerson Mnangagwa, and the Government of Zimbabwe for the initiative taken to produce a COVID-19 Documentary ‘Fighting the Wave – How a Nation United to Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic’ showcasing how Zimbabwe responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his speech during the launch today, Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, the Acting UN Resident Coordinator said the Documentary will inspire people inside as well as outside the country and will remain a legacy for future generations of Zimbabweans.
“The COVID-19 Documentary highlights the leadership of his HE the President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, and the Government of Zimbabwe in the COVID-19 response. The success of the COVID-19 response in Zimbabwe lies in the multi-sectoral response bringing all actors and sectors together, all Government bodies as well as the donors, civil society organizations, research and education institutions, private sector, faith organisations, and importantly the citizen of the country.
“Throughout the COVID-19 response, lessons were learnt, which can guide the Government of Zimbabwe and partners in dealing with for emergencies to come,” Dr. Oyewale said.
He said the launch is a cornerstone in the history of public health emergency response in Zimbabwe and the sub-region. The documentary ‘Fighting the Wave – How a Nation United to Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic’, showcases the remarkable response of Zimbabwe to COVID-19 and lessons learnt as a nation while fighting the pandemic. Stakeholders now know better and are better equipped to handle the next public health emergency when it emerges.
From March 2020 to today, Zimbabwe’s response to COVID-19 has been a journey of leadership, learning, navigating new territories, creating possibilities, and forging partnerships. The Country rolled out a remarkable response to the COVID-19 pandemic coordinated by a National Task Force led by H.E. the President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa and guided by the National COVID-19 Response Strategy and successive COVID-19 Response Intersectoral Operational Plans in line with international practices. The whole-of-government approach, adopted by the Country, ensured a most robust and holistic response involving different ministries with their respective departments, as well as many stakeholders, including donors, the private sector, and civil society organizations.
Following two years of the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the experience from four epidemic waves, stakeholders have learned a lot, but more important achieved quality results.
As a Country, the leadership of the Government and partnerships at all levels have contributed to the high levels of COVID-19 vaccination coverage, resumption of social and economic activities, and return of children to schools.
This Documentary allows the relaying of the experience the Nation went through during the COVID-19 pandemic and creates a repository of knowledge to inform future actions that may require a similar level of complex coordination, partnership, and scale.
“Learning is a strategy, and Zimbabwe clearly demonstrated this through the COVID-19 response. I am pleased to note that Zimbabwe has now become one of the first countries to have documented its experience in the form of a unique and detailed documentary on the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Oyewale added.
The Documentary gives credit to all the stakeholders that made the COVID-19 response in Zimbabwe to be exceptional. It also highlights the key strategies that were deployed to deal with future health emergencies. Without a doubt, the Documentary will also inspire countries in Africa and beyond.